The hull of Emirates Team New Zealand dips underwater, sending two crewmen overboard, while making a sharp turn past the windward marks during the first race of their America's Cup challenger series final sailing event against Luna Rossa Challenge, of Italy, Saturday, Aug 17, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
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Eric Risberg
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SAN FRANCISCO -- Drama and chaos swept through the America's Cup race on Saturday when, minutes after Italy's Luna Rossa broke down on the racecourse, Emirates Team New Zealand nose-dived into the bay at 46 mph, throwing two sailors into the water and ripping through the catamaran's trampoline.

The sailors were quickly retrieved, no one appeared injured and New Zealand still crossed the finish line first. Momentary fears that the boat might capsize, like the Swedish team did last May and a crewman was killed, quickly eased when the boat righted itself.

"We're a little shaken, but I'm thankful all the guys are OK," New Zealand skipper Dean Barker said after the race.

Chris McAsey, crewing at the bow of the Kiwi boat, said the crew linked arms as the hull plunged deep into the water and a wall of water beat them back.

"It goes down a bit, then it kept going down and down and you just start to wonder, is this our time?" McAsey said. "Right about then it popped up again and you realize you're two guys short."

Crew members Rob Waddell and Chris Ward, bobbing in the water with their newly-required emergency beacon lights flashing, were quickly picked up by chase boats. The only injuries, McAsey said, were bruises to the guys slamming into each other on board.

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For a day that was supposed to showcase the talent, skill and speed of the 72-foot catamarans and their crews, the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup finals went down in a broadcasted blaze of seaspray and hacksaws. To cap it off, high winds canceled the scheduled second race.

At least this time, in a regatta so far headlined by unmet expectations and cheating scandals, the excitement actually occurred on the racecourse.

The best-of-13 Louis Vuitton Cup finals between the two teams will resume with two races Sunday, beginning at 1:10 p.m.

Saturday's race, the first in the finals, got off to an auspicious start. As the teams headed toward the start gate, the pin connected to the starboard daggerboard on Luna Rossa broke loose. Team owner Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of the Prada fashion house sponsoring the team, pulled alongside the crippled boat. Crew members grabbed hacksaws and glue to repair the delaminated daggerboard. Because winds were picking up over the safety limit at the same time, the race was postponed for 10 minutes giving the Italians time to repair and get ready for a new start. Luna Rossa was just behind New Zealand at the starting line and was just eight second behind at the first mark when the daggerboard failed again. Luna Rossa was adrift.

Afterward, Sirena said the breakdown was "a shame" because his boat speed was so close to New Zealand's -- a stark contrast to last month's round robin series when Luna Rossa lost every race to New Zealand by a mile.

About 15 minutes after the Luna Rossa breakdown, with New Zealand well ahead at the third rounding mark, the Kiwis' troubles began. A big puff of wind hit the boat during its most vulnerable maneuver -- a bear away -- the same maneuver that caused Sweden's Artemis Racing to capsize during a training run in May that killed crew member Andrew "Bart" Simpson.

The twin hulls of the New Zealand catamaran plowed into the water, momentarily submerging more than half of the boat and flinging two sailors overboard.

"You're obviously very nervous that their heads don't get hit by the rudder," Barker said. But when he saw them safely behind the boat, he felt "more relief than anything."

Barker said he never felt the boat or his crew were in as much danger as it might have appeared on the televised broadcast.

"It's a balance between sailing the boat hard and backing off," he said. "We probably reached the limit today."